ERCS North Wollo Branch Launches Project to Support Refugees and Returnees
The North Wollo Zone Branch Office of the Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS), in partnership with the Swedish Red Cross and with funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency(SIDA), has launched a new project aimed at improving the lives of refugees, returnees, and host communities in Dessie town.
The project launch forum brought together senior management, experts, and volunteers from the Ethiopian Red Cross Society, along with representatives of relevant stakeholders from Raya Kobo Woreda.
Ato Abebe Getaneh Director of ERCS Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), highlighted that migration is affecting a significant number of people and creating complex humanitarian and social challenges. The Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) has been responding to these challenges through various strategies and interventions to support migrants, returnees, and affected communities.
He noted that ERCS has been providing support to returnees, including those returning from Saudi Arabia through Bole International Airport, and has also been supporting their reintegration in different regions of the country. He emphasized that the new ERCS–Swedish Red Cross Migration Project, funded by SIDA, represents an important stepping stone toward scaling up and strengthening ERCS’s support to migrants and returnees.
Ato Shambel Wale, Head of the Amhara Regional Branch, appreciated the support from the Swedish Red Cross and SIDA and emphasized the branch’s commitment to working closely with ERCS headquarters, relevant government stakeholders, and other partners to ensure the successful implementation of the project and to provide meaningful support to communities and returnees in the region.
Speaking at the event, the Head of ERCS North Wollo Zonal Branch Office, Ato Mengiste Baye, said the project seeks to protect the human dignity and well-being of refugees, returnees, and host communities while promoting sustainable rehabilitation and social inclusion
Ato Mengiste explained that over the past five years, more than 800,000 Ethiopians have been displaced due to conflict, drought, and economic challenges. He also noted that Ethiopia hosts more than 820,000 refugees and asylum seekers, placing considerable social and economic pressure on both displaced populations and host communities.
The project is designed to provide targeted support to refugees, returnees, and other vulnerable groups. Its key interventions include promoting protection and social cohesion, ensuring the safety and dignity of returnees, strengthening peaceful coexistence with host communities, and reducing the risks of exclusion and vulnerability.
Source: North Wollo Zone Communication
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